Hero Reborn
by xAllyAnnSevillex
Summary: When Simon and Jeanette are chosen to enter a parallel universe of supernatural proportions, they realize everything is not what it seems. And wait until they find out who's behind it all... Better than it sounds. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1: Lost Beginnings

**(Ally's POV)**

I have no idea why my parents had to go on me like this. They never had a problem with each other since I've been around - they never fought once. Guess that just shows you how long anything lasts these days...

Well, there are two things that come out of this. The good news is: I won't have to worry about what happened as much.

The bad news is: I have to manage finding a home, getting a job, and going to school all at the same time...

All at age fifteen.

I made my way up the steps of West Eastman High School, carrying practically everything I owned in several backpacks.

"Dr. Rubin," I greeted, "it's such a pleasure to meet you."

"Welcome to West Eastman, Miss Hopkins," Dr. Rubin replied, shaking my hand. "Why don't I get you some help with your things?"

"That would be great," I answered.

"Phelan," she began, addressing a student putting materials into a locker across the hall, "could you help a new student with her things?"

"Certainly," he replied. "I'll give her the grand tour if you wish."

"Well, see to it. I have some paperwork to attend to."

And with that, Dr. Rubin left for her office, leaving me alone with Phelan.

"Welcome to West Eastman, my dear," he greeted, kneeling down to kiss the back of my hand.

I blushed a little. "Please, you don't have to be so kind," I said.

"Oh, but it's my duty to make sure you're happy while you're here, princess."

Confusion got the best of me. _Princess?_ I thought.

Phelan grabbed all of my bags for me as we started walking. "So, where did you reside before coming here, princess?"

"Tennessee," I simply replied.

He seemed surprised. "My, and I'm sure you were the most beautiful chipmunk there."

"Um, Phelan... I was practically the _only_ chipmunk there."

"Then there's no contest!"

Laughing at Phelan trying to cover up his embarrassment, we stopped at a row of lockers on the far side of the school building.

"Well," Phelan began, "you can drop off your stuff off here before we head to first period. We'll be late, unfortunately, but it will be well worth it when you're here for the long run."

After dropping off my stuff at my locker, the two of us made our way to first period: algebra.

_This is going to be a very LONG day, _I thought.

Phelan told me to wait at the door before going into the classroom as he explained to the teacher about my prescense. He then motioned me inside so we could sit with one of his friends.

"I never got your name back at Dr. Rubin's office," Phelan noticed.

"Ally," I replied, trying to get a grip on some of the algebra problems in the textbook.

Suddenly, I saw Phelan's friend slip a note underneath my desk and into my left hand. Opening it, I read:

_"Don't worry if you can't solve any of those problems yet. I'll help you out if you need it."_

I turned around to see him smiling back at me, sort of stiffly. I gave the note back to him, and thirty seconds later, he added:

_"Phelan told me about the whole 'princess' thing, and I know for a fact that he's just trying to be friendly. Just try not to be so freaked out."_

_"The key word being 'try' in your last sentence,"_ I wrote before handing the blue Post-It note back.

He laughed. "I figured you might say that."

Just then, the bell rang. Trying to grab everything I had recieved from the teacher, I fell head first onto the floor, my chest pinned against the side of my textbook.

"Are you okay, Ally?" I heard him ask, grabbing everything out from under me so I could get up.

I wasn't sure if it was the fact that I was thinking of my parents or if it might have been just me but I seemed to be getting nervous at that particular moment. "Yeah, I'm okay," I replied. "Just a little shaken at the moment. Why?"

"Well, I just wanted to show you my schedule... You share everything with me - how convenient."

_Yeah,_ I thought. _More like perfect._

_Unlike my parents._

_Oh, no... Here come the tears._

Simon turned to me in concern. "What's wrong?" he asked, putting his hand on my shoulder.

"I can't quite say yet," I replied honestly. "I'm not ready to say it without breaking down."

He patted my shoulder. "Just tell me when you're ready."

Nodding, I said, "I will, Simon... I will."


	2. Chapter 2: Karma

**(Simon's POV)**

During second and third period, I couldn't help but keep my attention on Ally. She seemed so fragile, so devastated... about what, I could only guess, unfortunately.

She also seemed so familiar... and that I couldn't assume, either.

That is, until fourth period, anyway.

Ally, Phelan, my brother Theodore and my friends Jeanette and Eleanor - Alvin and Brittany had skipped school... _again_ - were sitting in their respected spots in the choir arrangement: Theodore and Phelan were in the bass section, Ally and Jeanette were with the sopranos, and Eleanor was on her way towards the altos.

I watched Mrs. DuBois walk up to her conductor's podium, motioning me to come down. Doing what was asked of me, I came down as she put a microphone on a stand.

"You wouldn't mind singing a duet, would you, Simon?"

As weird as the proposal sounded - I _never_ got a chance to sing solo in her class except if it involved my brothers - I agreed.

The first notes of "Whiskey Lullaby" played out as Mrs. DuBois motioned for Jeanette to stand next to me. I could see Ally crying in the distance.

_Oh crap,_ I thought. _Not good._

I took a huge, uneasy breath before I started singing:

**_She put him out  
Like the burnin' end of a midnight cigarette  
She broke his heart  
He spent his whole life trying to forget_**

_Ally,_ I thought. Her name rang in my head a few more times, like I'd known that name from somewhere else before...

**_We watched him drink his pain away  
A little at a time  
But he never could get drunk enough  
To get her off his mind  
Until the night..._**

I remembered that the night before my mother left me and my brothers with Dave, there was a small chipmunk in her arms as she walked away: a small, black-haired little girl with glasses. I couldn't get that image out of my head for the longest time...

**_He put that bottle to his head and pulled the trigger  
And finally drank away her memory  
Life is short, but this time, it was bigger  
Than the strength he had to get up off his knees  
We found him with his face down in the pillow  
With a note that said, "I'll love her 'til I die"  
And when we buried him beneath the willow  
The angels sang a whiskey lullaby_**

**_La, la, la, la, la, la, la  
_****_La, la, la, la, la, la, la_**

**_La, la, la, la, la, la, la  
_****_La, la, la, la, la, la, la_**

I heard Mrs. DuBois mutter something along the lines of: "No wonder why she doesn't have a home..."

_Does she mean Ally? _I thought to myself.

"Serves her right for sleeping on my property last night," Mrs. DuBois added.

_Well, we're a little high-strung today, aren't we?_

My throat tightened in anger as Jeanette took over, sensing something was wrong:

**_The rumors flew  
But nobody knew how much she blamed herself  
For years and years  
She tried to hide the whiskey on her breath_**

Suddenly, I noticed something peculiar about Ally: she mirrored what my sister was like before I was "adopted".

In fact, if I was right - and I had a good feeling I was - that only meant one thing:

Ally _was_ my sister.

Jeanette continued:

**_She finally drank her pain away  
A little at a time  
But she never could get drunk enough  
To get him off her mind  
Until the night..._**

Ally ran out of the room in tears, and I was in pain just watching her.

I sighed and joined Jeanette for the rest of the song:

**_She put that bottle to her head and pulled the trigger  
And finally drank away his memory  
Life is short, but this time, it was bigger  
Than the strength she had to get up off her knees  
We found her with her face down in the pillow  
Clinging to his picture for dear life  
We laid her next to him beneath the willow  
While the angels sang a whiskey lullaby_**

**_La, la, la, la, la, la, la  
_****_La, la, la, la, la, la, la_**

**_La, la, la, la, la, la, la  
_****_La, la, la, la, la, la, la_**

**_La, la, la, la, la, la, la  
_****_La, la, la, la, la, la, la_**

**_La, la, la, la, la, la, la  
_****_La, la, la, la, la, la, la_**

It was within that moment that I realized I was being used... by my own teacher.

After finishing the song, Jeanette and I had the same thought: Mrs. DuBois had slept around on other people's property.

Guess Alvin spying on her finally paid off.

"You're a hypocrite," I said to Mrs. DuBois as I was on my way out of the room.

Dead silence reigned until Mrs. DuBois asked, "What did you just call me?"

"A hypocrite," I answered bitterly, trying to look her straight in the eye. "A sour, bitchy hypocrite."

Mrs. DuBois just stood there staring at me in anger. "How dare you say that! Get your butt to Dr. Rubin's office! You have detention."

I slammed the door on the way out, making my way towards Dr. Rubin's office.

_Well, if being a bastard works, I'll give her a week before she's gone..._

_Or rots in hell. Whichever comes first._


	3. Chapter 3: No Love

**(Simon's POV)**

"Mr. Seville," Vanessa, Dr. Rubin's secretary, said, "she's ready for you."

I sighed, grabbing everything I brought to school that day and bringing into Dr. Rubin's office. I sat in the only empty chair in the room, hanging my head in aggravation.

Dr. Rubin turned to face me. "Simon, I can't believe you," she began. "Of the several years you've been here, you've never once interrupted a class, so why would you want to go and change that?"

"Well..." I began, "...I didn't do this because I _wanted_ to. I _had_ to."

"Go on, Simon. Tell me exactly what happened."

I sighed heavily before I continued. "Mrs. DuBois called me over to sing a duet with Jeanette, and the entire situation just got out of hand. Ally left the room crying when Mrs. DuBois remarked 'Serves her right for sleeping on my property last night'."

Dr. Rubin seemed surprised. "She really said that?"

"Every word."

"And what did you call her again?"

I gulped. "I called her a hypocrite, but I have a reason for doing it."

She leaned forward to ask something under confidentiality. "You found out about... 'the incident' involving Ryan?"

"From Alvin."

"...Alright, Simon. I'm not even giving you a warning. You did the right thing."

There was a question in the back of my mind that had been bugging me since I came to her office. "Where's Ally?"

She pointed outside, where Ally was sitting in the snow on a bench, still crying.

"I'm letting you, Ally, Phelan, Theodore, Jeanette and Eleanor go home early. I'll mark your absences for your last three periods as dismissals..."

"But there's a catch, right?"

"Well, if you count me driving you home as a catch, then yes, there is." She smiled.

"Fine by me, as long as I sit in front and you won't tell Alvin and Brittany that I leaked about their skipped periods today."

She smiled. "You're good... It's a deal." She held out her hand.

I shook it. "It's a deal."

* * *

After a good ten minutes, Dr. Rubin dropped us off at our house, and the moment I walked in, Alvin and Brittany were in the middle of 'doing it'.

I felt like I was about to throw up - for two reasons. Those I'll explain later.

"Would you two get a room... PLEASE?" Jeanette asked behind me. "You two seriously have to cut the crap."

"Yeah, especially in front of Ally," Theodore added.

Alvin got up off of Brittany. "Our sister, Ally?" he asked. "We haven't seen her in years!"

Suddenly, Ally stepped in front of me. "Well, I'm here!" She cheered, rushing over to hug him. "It's been so long..."

"I know... Well, do you think Dave will let you stay here with us?"

"That's already been arranged, Alvin," Dr. Rubin answered. "Oh, and by the way, both you and Brittany are going to detention tomorrow."

Phelan grabbed Ally by the hand as the rest of us finished making our way into the house.

"Come, princess," he said. "Let me make you some room in the guest bedroom."

"Wait a minute there, buddy," Alvin interrupted. "We're supposed to do a jam today, remember? It's Friday!"

"Oh, right... Jeanette, I believe it's your turn to sing this week."

"Me?" Jeanette asked him. "I don't know..."

I wrapped my arm around the back of her neck. "I'm sure you'll do fine."

"You really think so?"

"Of course. Why would I not?"

"Well, I just don't sound as great as you do."

"Stop putting yourself down, Jeanette. You sing better than anyone else I know."

Jeanette blushed. "Thanks."

"Can we get a move on?" Brittany asked cockingly.

Phelan turned to Jeanette. "Do you want to sing the one you were planning on doing?"

"Yeah," Jeanette replied, "but we're adding the male part this time."

"Am I singing it?"

"No, but you're still guitar. I want Simon to sing those parts."

"What parts?" I asked.

"You'll know when you hear them."

I nodded as Phelan began strumming his guitar. After a few bars, Jeanette started singing:

**_You never looked so good  
As you did last night  
Underneath the city lights_**

**_There, walking with your friend  
Laughing at the moon  
I swear you looked right through me_**

**_But I'm still living with your goodbye  
And you're just going on with your life_**

I took a huge breath before I jumped in with her:

**_How can you just walk on by  
Without one tear in your eye?  
Don't you have the slightest feelings left for me?  
Maybe that's just your way  
Of dealing with the pain  
Forgetting everything between our rise and fall_**

Jeanette took over:

**_Like we never loved at all_**

For some reason, tears were coming out of her eyes. I heard rumors that she and Ryan had broken up, but I didn't believe them... until now.

_**You, I hear you're doing fine  
Seems like you're doing well  
As far as I can tell**_

I jumped in again:

**_Time (time)  
Is leaving us behind (leaving us behind)  
Another week has passed  
And still I haven't laughed yet_**

**_So, tell me what your secret is  
Baby (I wanna know, I wanna know, I wanna know)  
To letting go  
Letting go like you did, like you did_**

**_How can you just walk on by  
Without one tear in your eye?  
Don't you have the slightest feelings left for me?  
Maybe that's just your way  
Of dealing with the pain  
Forgetting everything between our rise and fall_**

My throat tightened again. I had been reminded of my most recent ex-girlfriend Rachel, who was cheating on me last night... with a _girl._

Imagine how shocked and humiliated I felt.

At least no one could tell I was almost crying at this point.

**_Like we never loved at all_**

**_Did you forget the magic, oh_**

Did you forget the passion (passion)

**_Ohh, and did you ever miss me  
Ever long to kiss me?_**

**_Oh, whoa, oh, oh, ohh  
Baby (oh, baby)  
Baby_**

I took the lead:

**_Maybe that's just your way  
Of dealing with the pain  
Forgetting everything between our rise and fall (oh)_**

Like we never loved at all (at all)

We held out that last note until we ran out of breath, which didn't take very long.

"That was amazing!" Ally shouted out. "You guys were great!"

Dave then came in the room. "Guys, time for dinner," he said.

Alvin seemed interested in food for once. "What are we having?"

"Breakfast for dinner."

The eight of us jumped out of our seats to get a seat at the kitchen table.


	4. Chapter 4: Changes

**(Jeanette's POV)**

I couldn't believe what I just pulled off: a duet with Simon! My heart felt ecstatic, but my throat felt exhausted... and I fell silent.

My room was only half of Simon's - literally. Since Miss Miller died - almost two years to the day now - I had bunked in Simon's room.

Simon walked in as I took a sip of Eleanor's chai tea. He had a cup of coffee in his hand, and he sat down at the table next to me.

"How's you voice?" he asked.

"Not good," I mouthed. "I can't say anything."

"The tea's not helping, is it?"

I nodded.

He looked at me with a concerned face. "You look tired. Why don't you get some rest?"

All I did in response was take another sip of Eleanor's chai tea.

Simon sighed. "That's okay. I had something I wanted to talk to you about, anyway."

I was confused. What could he possibly want to talk to me about?

All of a sudden, I heard the radio turn on. The song playing was one of his favorites, and I could tell that something was on his mind.

He smiled. "I'll just sing it myself. You'll probably know what I want to say."

The song started, and Simon started singing:

_**Tell me you've had trouble sleeping  
That you toss and turn from side to side  
That it's my face you've been seeing  
In your dreams and mine**_

I nodded, agreeing with his words.

He sighed before continuing:

_**Tell me that you wake up crying  
And you're not sure exactly why  
Tell me that something is missing in your life  
In your life, baby**_

_**Tell me that you live for love  
That forever is never enough  
That you've waited for your life to see  
That you want so badly to believe  
Tell me that it's not just me**_

"Are you with me so far?" he asked me.

I nodded, and he continued.

_**I could've sworn I saw you smile at me  
Standin' in the pouring rain (in the pouring rain)  
At a loss for words and running out of time  
I said this crazy thing (crazy thing I said)**_

_**Tell me that you live for love  
That forever is never enough  
That you've waited for your life to see  
That you want so badly to believe  
Tell me that it's not just me**_

I had somehow gotten enough voice to speak. "So, you want me to-"

He pressed a finger against my lips, and he continued:

_**Hold me now and tell me  
That you do believe  
**__**In a soul, a soulmate**_

_**Tell me, tell me, tell me**_

_**Tell me that you live for love  
That forever is never enough  
That you've waited for your life to see  
That you want so badly to believe  
Tell me that it's not just me**_

He grabbed my hand tightly, and his eyes were pleading for me to say yes.

I nodded, and he instantly wrapped his arms around me.

"Thank you," he said, still tightly holding me. He finally let go of me, and he took me over to his bed. "You look like you're freezing."

A blanket was placed on top of me, and I saw him get in the bed next to me. He pulled me so close to him that our chests were leaning against each other.

I closed my eyes to go to sleep, and he kissed me before I had the chance to fully relax.

He ran his fingers through my hair. "I love you, Jeanette."

Clearing my throat, I replied with, "I love you, too," but as soon as I said those words, I felt a pain on the back of my neck. I grabbed Simon for dear life, but everything went black afterwards.


	5. Chapter 5: Parallels

**(Simon's POV)**

As I started to regain consciousness after Jeanette and I had neck pain, I realized I was no longer at home. I had been wrapped in a thick blanket, and I was outside. I smelt something cooking.

I sat up, seeing a small fire with a ceramic pot of water hung over it. Phelan was placing fish into the pot, along with some spices I had never seen before.

"Oh, good," Phelan said, "you're up."

"What the hell's so good about it?" I asked sourly. I suddenly noticed something else as I felt the back of my neck. "There's... marks, but it doesn't hurt anymore." I ran over to Phelan. "Is there something wrong with me?"

Phelan didn't answer, but he gave me a small mirror so I could find out.

I almost fainted. My fur was a lighter khaki than before, my eyes had turned an immaculate shade of gold, and I suddenly felt the weirdest craving for blood. I firmly closed my mouth.

He gave me a ceramic cup of a deep red liquid. "I knew you were going to need it soon enough. You only have to drink human blood once. You'll only have to kill animals for their blood later on."

"But we're animals!"

"No, not chipmunks, Simon. Just animals that are the type of meat we usually eat. Like cattle."

"Oh... Alright, then."

For some reason, I drank the entire thing in one shot. I asked Phelan what had happened, and he said that the Bitter Plague was about to take me over...

Whatever the hell _that_ meant.

I noticed Jeanette over by a shady tree, still unconscious. I sat by her side and wrapped her in my arms.

_She's adorable when she's sleeping,_ I thought as I brushed my fingers through her hair, noticing two new streaks of black in her hair. I kissed her on the cheek, grabbed the blanket that I was wrapped in, and wrapped it around the two of us.

"Don't get comfortable," I heard a voice say from up in the branches of the tree I was sitting under. "You might get burned if I light this match."

I knew that voice from anywhere, even after five years of being apart.

"Cousin Tori?" I asked.

"Simon?" she replied, already halfway down the tree. And the next thing I knew, she jumped on top of me. "I haven't seen you in forever!"

"Five years, Tori," I corrected, "not forever."

She smiled and backed off. "Screw you."

I laughed. "Screw you, too."

"Don't make me pull out the lighter."

"Tori, you know I'm kidding."

She smiled. "I know." She made a confused facial expression at Jeanette. "Who's that?"

"Oh... she's my girlfriend," I answered, the word 'girlfriend' sounding obscure as it left my mouth.

"Well, you and your girlfriend... I think I remember her now. Jeanette was her name, wasn't it?"

I nodded. "Yeah... You were saying?"

"Right... You have to come with me. Vinny needs to talk to you."

"Are Alvin and Theodore coming?"

Tori seemed confused. "What are you talking about? They haven't been bitten yet."

I sighed. "Are they alright?"

She put her hand on my shoulder. "Calm down, Sensei." (The two of us only used "Sensei" as a term of affection, mostly used by Tori since she is a few months younger than me when she was bitten and sent to this place.) "They're okay, but they're just not... here."

"What do you mean they're not _here_?"

"It would be best if I explained it on the way... Come on, Sensei. We have to go. I'll help you put your girlfriend on the boat."

She grabbed Jeanette by the feet as I grabbed her by the shoulders. The blanket was tightly wrapped around her, and the two of us put Jeanette on the boat, Phelan and Ally rushing towards the dock.

Phelan lit a candle, as it was near-freezing on the water. The fish he made earlier were salted and placed on a metal tray.

"Dig in," he said. "I found some more if anyone wants it later."

My mind was more focused on Jeanette than anything else. Feeling guilty because I wasn't by her side, I pushed my food out of my way and sat next to her.

Covering myself with half of the blanket, I slowly wrapped my arms around Jeanette, almost into a hug. She felt warm and comforting lying next to me. It would only be fair for me to treat her the same way.

I felt Jeanette move her arm and try to sit up. She seemed a little lost as she was waking up.

"Simon," she asked, "where are we?"

Tori, noticing that I was struggling to give Jeanette and answer, walked over and sat down next to her.

"Hey," she said, "remember me?"

Jeanette nodded. "Tori, right?"

"Uh-huh. Are you okay?"

"A little sore, but otherwise, I'm fine."

Tori sat in front of us. "You two love each other a lot, don't you?"

"More than anything in the world," I answered. "She's like family to me."

I suddenly felt dizzy, and the only possible thing I could see (even if my glasses were on) was a set of blurs. I heard somebody call my name, and then darkness overwhelmed me.


	6. Chapter 6: Summon

**(Simon's POV)**

The next thing I knew, I woke up in some sort of empty, rambshackle mansion. You know, the kind that nobody seemed to had been in for hundreds of years. The colors were still vibrant, so someone must have stayed there to keep the place in shape... At first, I thought that I was stuck inside... that was, until the door opened up behind me and I felt a slight breeze.

A dark being appeared in front of me - a small, pupil-less creature that soon copied itself ten-fold.

Shell-shocked, I ran into one of the smaller rooms of the mansion, only to come across more of the beings. I ran out, and I soon became surrounded.

_"Don't be afraid of them,"_ I heard someone say. _"You wield the keyblade, Simon. They fear you."_

Not bothering to ask how the person knew my name, I looked at my hand to see an oversized house key in it.

_"If you use it wisely, the Heartless will all disappear... Trust me, Simon. I know you can do it._" The voice sounded so familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

So, due to orders, I guess you could say, I jabbed one of the creatures in the chest, and it disappeared.

_"Pretty simple, right?" _she asked.

"Yeah," I replied, fending a few more off. "It's not as hard as I thought. I mean, how hard could this get?"

I just had to jinx it.

Soon enough, twenty more creatures appeared. and I felt deeply screwed.

_"You're our last hope..."_

"Last hope? For what?"

_"It will become clearer in time. Just hurry. We are all in terrible danger..."_

As those last words came out of her mouth, I got a little frightened.

"Need some help, kiddo?" I heard another voice ask. Standing a few feet away from me was a mouse only about half my height. He also had a keyblade in his hand.

"Well, it would be nice," I replied, sounding a little harsh. "Sorry."

"That's quite alright, my friend." He sounded sincere under that black robe he was wearing as he defeated a few of the "Heartless". Had I seen his face before?

All of the Heartless vanished, and I just slumped onto the floor in silence and relief. "Thank God," I said, talking a deep breath between words.

I watched as the mouse sat next to me. "Are you okay?"

"Fine, just a little winded..."

"Say, you wouldn't happen to be Simon Seville, would you?"

Confusion overwhelmed me. "Yeah, that's me... Why do you ask?"

"Well, I've been told you're our next keyblade bearer, and since you did some pretty swift handwork with that keyblade, I would have assumed that was you."

"Don't just assume anything. Besides, I'm not even sure if I'm ready to be your savior yet."

"I'm afraid you don't havew much of a choice," another voice, a female this time, replied. A female mouse appeared next to him. "You need to help us, Simon. It's not just our world that's in danger. It's every world the Heartless are in. They suck all of the pure hearts in every world and keep them sealed so no one can get to them, except for a selected few, including yourself... The Keybalde wielders are the only people that can stop all of the Heartless. These people have the purest hearts and would take any sacrafice as long as the amount of Heartless is minimal."

Silently, I turned away from them. "I'm not your guy. I know I'm not. There has to be someone better than me..."

"But that's just it," she continued solemnly. "We can't find them. They might be in peril as well, along with your family and friends."

_Wait a minute,_ I thought, _that was my mother talking to me._

_Oh, God. I might never see her again..._

_And it'll be all my fault if I don't do this..._

I decided enough was enough. "Alright, I'll do it... for my family... Let's go."

"Take good care of him... and be cautious, Mickey," the female mouse replied.

"Don't worry, Minnie," Mickey assured. "I will."

And with that, Mickey and I left without another word to Minnie, debating the tasks at hand.

"So, what's first?" I asked.

"Well, I guess the first thing we have to do is cut the Organization down to size," he answered. "Several of them disobeyed orders to leave the Heartless alone."

"And that's bad?"

"Yes, very bad. Worse than you'll ever know."

"How many will we have to annihilate?"

"Eleven."

This answer shocked me. "Eleven? That's how many people disobeyed you? That doesn't sound too bad."

"Out of fifteen Organization members, sixteen including myself, that's mutiny."

Suddenly, almost one hundred Heartless surrounded us. Mickey moved onto higher ground.

"Welcome to training," he said.

I groaned. "You're kidding, right?"

"Nope. Defeat these Heartless using the elements I say and you'll be ready to face the Organization rebels."

"But how the hell will I be able to use these elements if I don't know how to summon them?"

"Trust me, Simon. It will come. I sense you are the Ultimate Bearer we've been searching for."

_Ultimate Bearer?_ I thought.

I nodded as I turned away. "Alright, you bastards. Bring it on!"

"Use water first."

My hands started glowing a faint shade of blue, and I soon realized that I didn't need the Keyblade at all for my training. I took out ten of them instantly using a water whip.

"You're doing great so far!" Mickey shouted. "Try fire next."

The glow on my hands changed from blue to red, and I felt the heat of the fire burning in my hands. The next thing I knew, I was shooting fire balls, and I had knocked out fifteen more.

"Earth should suit you well righht now."

A green glow started coming from my hands. Using telekinesis, I lifted a large boulder within my reach and hurled it at the Heartless. Twenty-five were dead.

"Use wind now."

My hands turned white, and I used a wind shield. Twenty more Heartless down

Thirty more to go...

"Darkness should be used next."

I watched my hands turn pitch black. I then used a force field to prevent them from becoming any closer, but only five more were defeated. I felt the Keyblade in my hand now.

"Light is the last element," Mickey said. "Oh, and by the way, those force fields are never effective."

"That would have been useful thirty seconds ago, Mickey." I took a deep breath. "God, I'm beat."

Suddenly, I felt the world stop around me. In a defensive position, I closed my eyes to take another deep breath. When I opened them back up, not only was I more tired than before, but the rest of the Heartless were gone.

_What the fuck?_

"That was fantastic!" Mickey shouted.

For some reason, I felt dizzy again. _What's wrong with me?_

"You're just tired after the move you just did... I think we better set up camp here. You need to get some shut-eye."

Maybe he was right. After all, the kind of day I had could tire anyone out.

I found some space under a tree to lie down, and after five minutes, I fell asleep.


	7. Chapter 7: Memory of the Past

**(Simon's POV)**

For reasons unbeknownst to me, I had the weirdest dream.

Somebody was calling out a name - not mine, but a name familiar to me for reasons I couldn't explain.

A white-haired male was suddenly in view. He had a black blindfold around the area where his eyes should have been, and he was wearing a long, black cloak.

"I know you can hear me, Sora," he said. He was addressing me, I could figure that much. He was just calling me the wrong name. "Don't worry. I will be with you every step of the way...

"Until we meet again, Sora..." He disappeared after that.

Somehow, a name rang in my head relating to the somewhat familiar face:

Riku.

I scared myself awake, and Mickey could see something was wrong.

"What happened?" he asked.

Still having trouble trying to digest what had just happened, I nodded, trying to find out how to explain it to him.

"Do you know anyone by the name of Riku?" I asked.

Mickey sighed. "I was afraid that was going to happen sooner or later," he replied. "Don't worry, that'll be explained later, but for right now, we have work to do."

"I suppose you're right... Whose ass are we kicking first?" Mickey glared at me. "Oh... sorry."

"His name is Luxord."

"Sounds like he's pretty sophisticated."

"Well, he's actually been a real brute lately." He opened a portal. "This will lead us to Castle Oblivion... Are you ready?"

I sighed. "As ready as I'll ever be."

The two of us went through the portal, and I braced myself for not being able to come out alive.

Castle Oblivion was not at all what I expected: the pure white interior gleamed in the daylight, and the blonde male - whom I had surely assumed was Luxord - stood out like a sore thumb.

"So, _this_ is the new Keyblade Bearer?" Luxord asked. "Seems like you've been sold short, Your Highness."

"Alright, enough with the jokes," I stated. "Let's get this over with."

Luxord telepathically lifted six - no, five - cards around him. "Gladly... Pick one."

I noticed a sixth card in his black cloak. "How about the one in your sleeve, Mr. Magician?"

His eyes grew wider. "How did-"

"Listen, I've known that trick since fourth grade. You're not fooling me." I noticed a pocket watch in Luxord's hand.

_Crap,_ I thought, _time stop._

He might have been quick on the draw, but I was faster. Before he was able to pause time for maybe a mere moment, I stabbed him in the back with the Keyblade, and he didn't even see me coming before he was defeated.

Mickey just stood there in shock.

"Didn't even break a sweat," I replied.

"Well," Mickey said, "I suggest you get those time cards and the pocket watch before he wakes up. I'll cage him."

I slipped the watch and the cards in my pocket. "Does it get any easier?"

"Don't count on it."

Another man in a long, black cloak walked into the room. "Welcome to hell, you little rat," he greeted angrily.

"Who might this be?" I whispered to Mickey.

"Lexaeus," he answered. "Choose your element wisely, my friend."

I sensed that Lexaeus wasn't the type to mess around with anyone, never mind me.

Considering he was putting me in a man-made crater, I was right.

A book somehow appeared in my hands, with a page open to a teleportation spell. Mentally reading the spell, I suddenly found myself outside of the crater Leaxaeus made.

_Perfect, _I thought.

I stood on the edge of the crater, letting balls of water in my hands strengthen. I released the water into the crater, causing the crater to fill up, practically drowning Lexaeus.

"Let's just leave him there, Mickey," I said. "His ass deserves it."

Mickey sighed. "Well said... Let's keep going, Simon. We won't be able to get rid of them all unless we do it tonight."

"Then let's see what he's got!" shouted another male voice.

"Vexen," Mickey growled. "I knew it was you. You will be defeated."

"Do you really believe that, Mickey? I'm sure your friend doesn't." Somehow distarcting me for the moment, I suddenly noticed I was stuck in an ice barrier, and Mickey was frozen next to me on the outside of the barrier.

There was writing on one of the icicles, and I knew it could only come from Mickey. _"Eat the ice," _it read.

"And why the hell would I do that?" I asked.

_"You might gain something from it."_

I sighed. "Whatever." I carved some ice out of one of the icicles and shoved it in my mouth, and I felt more empowered.

Being able to see Vexen through the shards of ice, I let out a breath. I watched as he walked closer, but the next time I exhaled, he turned into ice instantly, his face still glaring at me. Using the Keyblade, I smashed Vexen to pieces.

_Now, _I thought, _to free Mickey._

I tapped the ice ever so slightly, giving Mickey elbow room to break free.

"Thank you, but there's something I ust tell you."

"What?"

He gulped. "We're surrounded."

I turned to see the other rebels creating a wall around us.

"Damn it."


End file.
